This year my son, Sam, will start kindergarten. His feelings about this are equal parts excitement and uncertainty. Starting kindergarten is a big deal - in fact, I feel it's one of life's great transitions. Children often leave the comfortable environments they have known their short lives and are introduced to new settings, people, and ideas. Therefore, it is important to celebrate this rite of passage and make sure our children are prepared and enthusiastic about their new journey.

The Kindergarten Countdown program has been developed to do just that! Each year families that have a rising kindergartener are invited to participate in the program. And participation is easy - stop by any Louisville Free Public Library location and pick up your Kindergarten Countdown packet which includes:

• An "I'm Going to Kindergarten" t-shirt
• A copy of Kindergarten Rocks!
• School readiness resources
• Schedule of events

The Kindergarten Countdown events scheduled throughout the summer provide educational experiences that are fun and engaging for the soon-to-be kindergartners. The best part of this program is that it's all FREE! When the child wears the "I'm Going to Kindergarten" t-shirt, the child and one caregiver are admitted free-of-charge to all the Kindergarten Countdown events. You can find a listing of all events here.

I have taken Sam to five of the events this summer and he has started to call it the "kindergarten club." I love that because of this program he is already starting to find his new community. He is identifying with all the other kids that are about to take the same journey and I believe that will help make his transition more exciting and less daunting.

If you haven't picked up Kindergarten Countdown materials for your child yet, it's not too late! Upcoming events include:

• A tour of the WaterWorks Museum at Louisville Water Tower Park - July 18^th, 10:00 - 3:00 p.m.
• Admission to the Kentucky Derby Museum - July 18^th, 9:30 - 12:00 p.m.
• A ticket to a performance at Walden Theatre - July 24^th, 1:00 p.m.
• Admission to the Kentucky Science Center - July 25^th, 11:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• A performance by StageOne Storytellers - August 1^st, 10:00 a.m.

The signature event will happen on July 28^th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. when agencies and organizations come together for a kindergarten resource fair held at Slugger Field. Families are invited to tour the booths, pick up resources, and talk to community representatives about the kindergarten transition. After the resource fair, children with their kindergarten t-shirt are invited to stay and watch the Louisville Bats baseball game.

This program could not happen without the support and enthusiasm of many community partners. We are lucky to live in a community that cares so much about starting children on their school career in a positive way.

Kindergarten Countdown is a partnership between Metro United Way, Louisville Metro, LFPL, JCPS, and PNC Bank with support from cultural and educational institutions throughout the county. The goal of Kindergarten Countdown is to support children's transitions into kindergarten.

Kate Schiavi is the Youth Services Manager at the Louisville Free Public Library. In this position, Kate coordinates the Library's literacy programs for children and teens. She has a strong community-minded focus to her work and feels that strong programs come from strong partnerships. The highlights of her job include driving the bookmobile, hosting a monthly preschool dance party at the Main Library, and helping library patrons find great books to read. Feel free to contact Kate at kate@lfpl.org.